Did Geno Smith Deserve To Sign An Endorsement Deal With Under Armour?

The verdict is still out on New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith. While he did have some pretty solid performances last season during his rookie year with the Jets—specifically, he played very well during a road game against the Atlanta Falcons—he made a lot of mistakes towards the end of the year and didn’t always throw accurately enough to lead his team to victory. So there are some people out there who think that the Jets’ new backup quarterback Michael Vick might actually start the season at QB for the Jets. And if that happens, it could be a real setback for Smith.

With that in mind, we were sort of surprised recently when we heard that Under Armour had agreed to an endorsement deal with Smith. In theory, we get why UA would want a guy like Smith on their roster. He plays in a huge market. He has a lot of potential. And even if he doesn’t start this season, he’s eventually going to get a chance to start again for the Jets. So it makes sense for him to join a UA roster that already includes Tom Brady, Cam Newton, and Julio Jones after spending his rookie season outfitted in Nike cleats. But it could also end up being a huge mistake by UA if Smith doesn’t pan out. Granted, NFL sneaker deals aren’t like NBA sneaker deals and we imagine that UA isn’t investing a ton of time and money into a signature sneaker for Smith or anything like that just yet. But still, how has Smith proven that he deserves a deal with UA?

So far, he hasn’t. So it’ll be interesting to see how UA utilizes him moving forward and how Smith plays this season. Things like sneaker deals will increase the pressure that is placed upon him and could ultimately break him. But if he does play well, UA will look like geniuses for signing him so early on in his career.

What do you think about Under Armour signing Smith to a deal? Did he deserve it—or should UA have held off until he proved himself a little bit more?

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